Archive for March, 2010

The very core of creating your future, your reality is to know with great clarity what you want . Being clear and specific about what you want is the beginning point of defining your Actions to achieve your goals. Action without purpose is ok for skipping along down a country road. Otherwise, without purpose (focus) and direction the energy you expend is wasted. Become totally clear on what you want, where you want to go and how you want to get there. edgideon@actioncoach.com

We start with your big ‘WHY’. Without that you will sail any water, find any port and will not know where you landed. That’s not your destiny. With a big enough why you can overcome any ‘what’ or ‘how’. Contact the coach to talk about how to get started. In the Moore County, Cumberland County areas of North Carolina sign up for coach’s workshops. edgideon@actioncoach.com

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS BY WORD OF MOUTH As business owners, we enjoy doing what we do – after all, why would we set up in business at all if we didn’t? But what we don’t enjoy as much is the constant chasing after the next customer – the time, effort and money we put into advertising and marketing with no guarantee that it will grow our sales. Wouldn’t it be great if new customers could see for themselves the value in what we do and come to us, rather than us having to go looking for them? What if our existing customers were so happy with our products or services that they went out of their way to tell the people they know how great we are and that they should give us a call right away? Then the only marketing investment would need would be in getting referrals and in effect, your existing customers would be your sales team! I am not suggesting that a referral strategy should be your only strategy for bringing in new customers, especially if you have high growth plans, but for some businesses it could be a far more effective strategy than it currently is. And the great thing about a referral strategy is that it is a relatively low-cost way of buying new customers. The first step for a referrals strategy to turn your customers into “Raving Fans”. Nobody is going to refer you if your service is just satisfactory – you only get raving fans when you go beyond satisfied customers. Think about what you can do that will make their experience with you memorable – perhaps a small gift, a card on their birthday, or perhaps just the fact that your staff are so friendly and helpful that they make the buying process a pleasure. (Jeffery Gitomer wrote a book entitled “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless”, which is a great introduction on how to do this in your business.) The next step is finding out who your loyal customers are, so make sure you have a good record-keeping system for your customers’ contact details and then categorise them. We recommend the ABC system – Awesome, Basic, Can’t Deal with. Then spend more time with the A’s and B’s than you do with the C’s. In fact why not get rid of these entirely? If you are not really sure who your ABC clients are then one way to find out is to ask them. There are two simple ways to do this. 1. Customer surveys – write to them and ask them some questions and then rate the responses. 2. Testimonials – ask them to write you a testimonial and find out what they really think of you. Now you know who your raving fans are, make sure that you keep in contact with them on a regular basis. It is a fact that the average business spends five times as much on buying new customers as it does on keeping old customers coming back, which is crazy. So put some of your marketing budget towards keeping in contact and building loyalty with your existing clients, even when they are not buying. A simple method for this is to send out a quarterly newsletter, giving details of special offers or new products. (You can get a FREE instant newsletter help-sheet from my web site.) With all of this in place, it is easy to make the next step and actually physically ask for a referral, and this is where many business owners fall down, because they feel awkward or self conscious. But why should you? You aren’t asking for something you don’t deserve – you’re just asking for the opportunity to allow more customers to benefit from your great customer service. You need to choose your moment, and then you just have to be brave and do it! However, even then some people find it difficult, so if this is the case use some props or tools to help you. Why not put a referral card in with the purchase, and ask your customer to fill it in later, or get them to invite people to a free event so they can sample your product/service without risk, or give them an information pack to pass on to people they know who might be interested, or even a special offer voucher so there is a real Win Win. The final points to cover are when you do get a referral, thank the referrer in a way that will ensure that they like it so much they will do it again and again, and whatever you do, systemise it so that it happens automatically and can be easily delegated to somebody else. The last thing to remember when asking for referrals is, your success will be defined by your attitude. Think about who you really want as your clients, be genuine and honest, give to receive and be grateful when you get it; if you are, you’ll get the referrals you want. So go out there, take ACTION and grow your business by word of mouth!

VALUE PROPOSITION. What is it, how do I use it? Do you know what exactly is your Value Proposition is? You must know it and be able to deliver it day in and day out to add VALUE for our clients and customers. So, what IS your Value Proposition? Many will say something like “Excellent Customer Service”, or “Quality Products and Service”. Others will suggest it has something to do with their reputation or their long history of excellent performance. I believe it must be stated in terms of a FEELING that someone gets when they do business with you. That’s right – a FEELING! Have you ever defined your value proposition in terms of a feeling? Think about it. When a customer uses your product or service, how does that make them FEEL? Do they get a sense of confidence? Do they feel refreshed? Does working with you give them a sense of hope? Maybe when they visit your shop they are overwhelmed by a sense of calm relaxation. What is it that you want them to FEEL? This is not a “touchy feely” activity. This is a critically important assessment of what you are trying to accomplish in your business. Let’s face it, most of us do not have a name brand, like Coke or McDonalds where the satisfaction guarantee is almost certain because of our reputation and brand. Most of us also do not have a product that is so well known, like an Apple computer or Kleenex where our customers don’t need to worry about the quality of what they are buying because our previous products speak for themselves. Most of us are in a business where it is neither the Brand nor the Product that is the real reason people buy from us. They are buying from us because of the FEELING they get when they do business with us. What is that FEELING that keeps them coming back time and time again? That feeling that keeps them from going to our competitor? If you are scratching your head on this one, then here is a simple exercise for you this week – ask some of your current customers! That’s right. Ask your customers why they buy from you and not from your competitors. It is scary how many business owners don’t take the time to ask their current customers. Maybe because they are afraid of the answer. Maybe they are worried that their customer may just say “Gee, I don’t really know why I keep buying from you…maybe I should try the other guy!” Ask them! Ask several of them. Get them to tell you why in terms of a FEELING. Then, when you get several who share a similar feeling with you, you will know exactly why they like doing business with you. Think about it…How can you ever think to replicate what matters if you don’t know what matters? Your customers will tell you what your Value Proposition is – or should be! So, Value Proposition is a difficult stage. It is not an off the cuff thought or answer. This must be thought about deeply, then researched with some current customers. But once you have it, your Value Proposition that is, you will be in a position to really pick up the pace as you head into the next stages of this critical race.

Each of us needs, actually should be required, to have a plan. A plan to achieve our Dreams. Unfortunately we didn’t get a head start in the education system on how to turn dreams into reality. The good news is that it is an easy process. Once established, we have only to do a few things on a daily basis. It has been determined by a century of research that setting Goals and developing a Plan to achieve them is the single most influential component in success. It’s the old ‘just do it’ part that gets most of us. So, we will cover these topics and more. Coach has workshops in Pinehurst and Fayetteville, NC. Email edgideon@actioncoach.com.

You own your business, you work for someone else, it doesn’t matter. You will be successful if you can solve problems. They will pay you for it. What a concept! Don’t be the employee who is always gritching and bringing problems…find a solution. As a business owner I use the phrase ‘take that problem off the table’ for my clients. I do it by helping them find the solution. But the problem is solved. Isn’t that the idea? Change your focus, change your attitude. Wayne Dyer says, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.” Look upon yourself as the problem solver, get busy finding ways to demonstrate it, learn more and more about the field in which you have interest and watch your success take off.

Customers want to be satisfied, but they talk about getting more than expected. That’s where the referral system kicks in and your business takes off. Ed excels at over delivery of quality service. Doing the extra preparation for Coaching meetings or presentations sets him apart from other advisors. Expect to be Wow-ed when you work with Ed. You and your business take off for success.

ActionCOACH, Ed Gideon & Elliotts on Linden present the Workshop for designing your life success and your business success …

Success + Wealth + Rewards

A Workshop to Set Meaningful Goals and Build a Solid Plan for Life and Business. Then work with the Coach monthly for 1 Year for Accountability; Insure Your Success. Do you want to Achieve more from Life ?…from Business ? Take charge of Your Future…NOW

· Work with an Experienced Coach. Your Guide to Success in the workshop, then each month for a year to help you stay on track and build your success.

· Unlock your Unique Potential; Get even more out of life. Eliminate self-doubt.

“My company is built on goals, plans and referrals. It’s success has been sustained because I continually revise and improve my Goals and Plan. Coach Ed’s Goals and Planning workshop helped me renew and confirm the direction for myself and my business. I discovered insights to success and easy-to-use steps that will help me continue the growth of my business. Thanks Coach Ed.” –Pam Gantt, President & Founder, Key Mortgage, LLC, Southern Pines, NC. “My side of the house is fascinated with the coaching thing. They ask lots of questions about what you and I are doing, and they seem to have really bought into making positive changes so that Moore Exposure can continue to grow.” –Jean Moore, Moore Exposure, Fayetteville, NC.

Includes lunch, coffee, soft drinks, workbooks. Cell phones & pda’s not permitted in workshop. Breaks provided. Time to network and talk to the Coach during the social hour & Wine Tasting at 5:00pm—6:00pm. Accountability with the coach for one year to lock in your success.

Limited to 12. Confirm your place now . Prepare to do the work that can change you and your future.

To book your place today :Simply complete this form today and fax it to:
(336) 545-4141. Or phone Ed now at (910) 215-5784. Discounts for 4 or more from one company. Call Ed. You may email edgideon@actioncoach.com

Name: ________________

Company: ___________________

Address: _____________________

Phone: ______________________

City/State/Zip:__________________

E-mail Address: ____________________

Please charge my credit card $ __________ £ Visa £ MasterCard

Card number: ______________________________________ CVS: _______

Expires: / BillingAddress:____________________________________

Name On Card: _________________________ Signature_______________________________

ActionCOACH and Ed Gideon present the Workshop for designing your life success and your business success …

Success + Wealth + Rewards

A Workshop to Set Meaningful Goals and Build a Solid Plan for Life and Business. Then work with the Coach monthly for 1 Year for Accountability; Insure Your Success. Do you want to Achieve more from Life ?…from Business ? Take charge of Your Future…NOW

· Work with an Experienced Coach.Your Guide to Success in the workshop, then each month for a year to help you stay on track and build your success.

· Unlock your Unique Potential; Get even more out of life. Eliminate self-doubt.

“My company is built on goals, plans and referrals. It’s success has been sustained because I continually revise and improve my Goals and Plan. Coach Ed’s Goals and Planning workshop helped me renew and confirm the direction for myself and my business. I discovered insights to success and easy-to-use steps that will help me continue the growth of my business. Thanks Coach Ed.” –Pam Gantt, President & Founder, Key Mortgage, LLC, Southern Pines, NC. “My side of the house is fascinated with the coaching thing. They ask lots of questions about what you and I are doing, and they seem to have really bought into making positive changes so that Moore Exposure can continue to grow.” –Jean Moore, Moore Exposure, Fayetteville, NC.

Includes lunch, coffee, soft drinks, workbooks. Cell phones & pda’s not permitted in workshop. Breaks provided. Time to network and talk to the Coach during the social hour at 5:00pm—6:00pm. Accountability with the coach for one year to lock in your success.

Limited to 18. Confirm your place now . Prepare to do the work that can change you and your future.

To book your place today :Simply complete this form today and fax it to:
(336) 545-4141. Or phone Ed now at (910) 215-5784. Discounts for 4 or more from one company. Call Ed. You may email edgideon@actioncoach.com

Name: ________________

Company: ___________________

Address: _____________________

Phone: ______________________

City/State/Zip:__________________

E-mail Address: ____________________

Please charge my credit card $ __________ £ Visa £ MasterCard

Card number: ______________________________________ CVS: _______

Expires: / BillingAddress:____________________________________

Name On Card: _________________________ Signature_______________________________

Raving fans are customers who are so over the moon with the business and the service you provide that they will not only tell all their friends and colleagues about you, but actually bring them to you and help you make sales to them. It’s a frightening fact that we spend six times as much money attempting to attract new customers to our businesses than we do to up-sell, on-sell and generally care for, and retain our existing customers. Another frightening fact is that 68% of customers who stop buying from an organization do so simply because of a perceived indifference. The business actually didn’t do anything wrong; the customer just thought the organization didn’t care enough! Would you like your customers to shout your name from rooftops telling people why, if they’re not dealing with you, they’re missing out on something awesome? Here are some simple tips that you can introduce in your business today. These tips will help keep your customers not only coming back with more repeat business, but bringing their friends with them as well: • Use their name frequently. • Send them thank-you cards. • Ask them to come back. • Sell them everything they need to gain maximum benefit from the purchase. • Call them just to make sure everything is going well. • Call them when something new arrives in stock that you know they would like. • Follow-up & follow-up again. • Under-promise and over-deliver. Try to implement just a few of these tips. As a Business Owner, you must lead by example; your team will do what they see you do. The bottom line is that if you care for your customers, your customers will care for you and help you grow your business. It really is as simple as that.